“Linoleum?” I hear you ask. Yes, Linoleum-Haus Rau. This building’s story is more captivating than its name suggests. It stands as a testament to Radebeul’s evolving history.
Linoleum-Haus Rau got its name in 1939. A linoleum store occupied its ground floor then. The name “Linoleum-Haus Rau” was kept after the store moved out. This was because the building is a protected monument. Look up above the shop window. You can still see the name in a 1920s-style font.
But there’s more. Before linoleum, the building had a different life. Around 1890, master builder F. A. Bernhard Große built this house. He and his family likely used their own construction company for the build. Große lived upstairs until his death in 1914. He rented out the ground floor.
Fast forward to 1920. The house was sold to a factory owner from Meißen. Then, the ground floor tenant was Arthur Hanns. He was Große’s successor in the construction business. Interestingly, the construction firm was located just across the street.
Now, about the building itself. Notice the villa’s architecture. It has two stories and a flat, slated hipped roof. A three-story risalit juts out from the street front. An attic crowns the risalit. It features a triangular gable with obelisk-like ornaments. Medallions decorate its outer edges.
The windows are framed by profiled sandstone. They are adorned with varied canopies. Simple horizontal canopies are on the ground floor. The upper floor windows have horizontal canopies resting on keystones. The risalit windows boast segmented canopies. Obelisk shapes decorate these.
Today, Linoleum-Haus Rau houses a porcelain painting shop. The building has housed this shop since 2008. So, while the linoleum is gone, the name remains. Linoleum-Haus Rau serves as a reminder of the past. It connects different eras of Radebeul’s history. The building shows how a simple shop name can preserve a building’s story.